Automatic car-stop.



I T all whom it may concern: I

. Stops,.of which the following is a specifica' UNITED r T T. OFFICE.

enonenn. RICHARD-S, OF TERRE HAUTE, INDIANA.

AUTOMATIC CAR-STOP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 17,1907. I

Application filed July 26, 1907. $erial No. 385.607.

Be it known that I, GEORGE H. RICHARDS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Terre Haute, inthe county of Vigo and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements 1n Automatic Cartion.

My invention relates to devices for automatically arresting the pro ress of a car, by means located exterior to-the car and actuated' by an elementseparated "therefrom: and my device is particularly applicable to use in miningoperations, and tunnel excavation. 1

The princi aI- objectsof my invention, in

' its illustrate application to mining, are .to

provide improved means which will auto.- matically prevent a car from running to the end of its track and there fallin intoa pit or well, termed a sump, when t e cage which carries the car to the surface is not at the end of the track in proper position to receive the car; to provide for the actuation of my device by the cage, so that, when the latter is in proper receiving position at the end of the track, the car arresting means will have been actuated to leave the track unobstructed in order that a car can then run down upon the floor of the cage. I g

In the following description and claims, and in theaccompanying drawing, I have I indicated a preferred embodiment of my invention for accomplishing the foregoing and hereinafter indicated'objects. It is however obvious that modifications, in the details of this embodiment, can be made without departing from the spirit and scope ofmy in'-' vention, and I therefore do not wish to be limited to the precise details indicated.

In the accompanying drawing-Figure ,1-

is. an elevation of an application of my mven tion,' showin in, full lines, acar'temporarily held by my c evice against further movement towards the sump, and showing also, in-

dotted lines, the hoisting cage in its car-rel ceiving position, after releasing the car,

which is shown in dotted lines resting p'ar-' tia'lly on the cage.. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the car-stoppin means, together Withta portion of the trac 1 Fig. 3 is a transverse section,- showing,.in full lines, my device holding a car against-movement; and showing also, in dotted lines, the ca e at rest in its car-receiving position, and e consequent position ofthe' car-stopping means. Fig. 4 is a perspective detail showing the 'car-sto ping means. tudinal and transverse sections of aslightly modified form of a combined trip and reset? ting weight, the cage in each of these views being shown in its lowermost position ready 'to receive a car from the track.

1 indicates the rails of a tunnel track, 2 its ties, 3 a car adapted to run on the track, 4 the line of the sump at the end of the track, 5 the floor of the cage by means of 45 a portion of the under-framing of the cage, and 7 a fixed rest or seat, located in the sump, and adapted to limitthe downward movement of the cage and to support it in a' position toreceive .or unload a car.

A rock-shaft 8 is preferably journaled in suitable bearings 9, secured to the ties adjacent a rail 1. This shaft' is preferably provided with collars 10, which are preferablyferring now to the first four figures-of the' projecting above the shaft 8, is

drawing, 1y curved: as at 1'3, and the portion prefera 14 below the shaft is formed to constitute a weightsufliciently heavy, so that when carried from its' normal vertical position, it will. turn theshaft 8 in regaining such vertical position. i.

In some types of mine and tunnel construction, the floor 5 of the hoisting cage, as shown in .Figsxl and-3, does not carry-railsto receive. the car wheels, which in this construction, run' from the rails of the tunnel track upon the floor 5 ofthe cage, the flange of the car wheel running, if desired, upon one leg of an an le iron 15' secured to the floor of the cage. 11 this form of construction, the

to receive a,car',as -it would were there rails on the floor. of the cage: therefore the props? Figs. 5 and 6 are respectively ongiwhich loaded cars are hoisted'to the surface, I

.cage will-not be'required to descend as low, 1

elevation, of the combined trip and weight for this construction, can be secured by inclining the shaft as shown in Fig. 1, it being evident that the shaft could instead be positioned approximately horizontal at therequired elevation for the trip and weight.

Figs. 5 and 6 show a type of construction, in which the cage floor-'5 has secured thereto rails 16, upon which the cars 3 roll fronrthe rails 1, of the tunnel track. This construction requires that the elevation of the cage floor, when in position to receive a car from the tunnel tracks, shall be lower than in the construction illustrated in Figs. 1" and 3. To

the form shown in Figs 5 and 6, wherein the weight portion, indicated at 17, has formed,

Weight port-ion, assumes the position shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 4, and also in full lines in Fig. 3; and in assuming this position, the member 12 turns the shaft 8 'sothat its knee and into the path of a car wheel thereon.

Ifnowa car move towards the sump, the I knee 11 will be struck by the alining front Wheel of the car 3. This results in arresting the further progress of the car towards the sump, the car being thus held as long as the member 12 is not turned from its normal position. If the cage now descend, the under surface of its floor-5., comes in contact with the curved end 13 of the member 12,

course, its pressure on this curved portion turns the member 12' to the position shown -'in. dotted lines in Fig.3, thus turning the shaft 8, the knee 11 of which is thereby turned from its position in front of the'car wheel, into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3, and in this position, the car is free to move forward 011 the cage.

In the operation of the combined trip and resetting weight shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the

under surfacev of the descending cage floor contacts with the stud 19, and as the cage continues downwardly, the member 12 is turned to the position shown in Figs. 5 and "6, thus turning the shaft 8' to remove its knee 11 from the path of the car as heretofore explained.

In the use of either form of my device, when the cage again. ascends the weight 85 portion of either member 12, will return to meet this requirement, the member 12 is of projects inwardly over the adjacent rail 1,

and as the cage continues its downward shaft to its normal position.

'its normalvertical position, thereby againprojecting the knee 11 into the path of a car to prevent it passing to the sumpl As the downward movement of the cage is limit-ed by the seat 7, which is omitted from views Sand 6, it will be seen that the cage cannot m urethe shaft 8 by-subject ing it to any force that cannot be taken up by the turning of the shaft; It will .be noticed that with the construction illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6, the cage floor can descend below the level of shaft 8.

- The member 12 -ma'y be. formed integral with the shaft 8 as indicated in Fig. 4, or it maybe formed separately and keyed'to the shaft as indicated in Figs. 3 and 6.

The bearings 9, adjacent the knee 11, are preferably located. as shown in the drawing, in close relation to the branches of the knee for the purpose of strengthening it The device may if desired be steadied in its car-stopping position, by having the gravitating force. of' the weight ortion 1-I 17, bring the knee 11 against 1:. e side oft-he rail as shown in Fig. 3,

Although the detailed description of my device has been directed to its application to mining and tunneling operations, it is "evident tl1atitcan be advantageously applied to various situations for the purpose of arresting the progress of a moving element, car orotherwise, towards a certain point. I Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure'byLetters Patent thereon, is

1. In a device of the character described,

a rock-shaft having anoutstanding objectarresting arm, and having aweight adapted to normally hold the rock-shaft in a determined position, and having also an element adapted to be actuated-to rotate the shaft from its normalfposition.

2. In a device of the character described, a rock-shaft having an outstanding car-arresting arm, and having also a trip and weight the trip being adapted to be struck to ,turn the shaft from-its normal position andthe weight being adapted to' return the 3. In a device of he character described, arock-shaft having aportion thereof bent to form an outstanding knee, and having also a combined trip and resetting weight thetrip portion being adapted-to be struck to turn the toe 'shaft and the weight port1on be1ng adapted to return the shaft to its normal position.

4. In adevice of the character described, a rock-shaft mounted. adjacent a track the shaft having an outstanding arm, adapted to normally project into thepath of a car'rolling on the track, the rock-shaft having also, a trip and resetting weight the trip being adaptedto be struck to turn the shaft for the purpose of turning its arm out of the path ofjthe'carthe Weight being adapted to return the arm to its normal position when the trip has been freed.

5. In a device of the character-described, the combination with atrack, of bearings secured adjacent a rail thereof, a shaft mounted to turn in the bearings, theshaft having a portion bent outwardly to form a knee adapted to normally project into the path of a car wheel traveling on the adjacent rail, the shafthaving also at one end a head forming a combined trip and resetting Weight, a cage adapted to move transversely of the shaft and track and adapted to receive a car fromv the latterthe cage being also adapted in traveling to its car-receiving position to strike the trip portion of the head thereby turning the shaft and removing its knee from he path of car the Weight portion of the head being adapted to return the shaft and knee to its normal position when the cage retreats from its ear-receiving position, means carried by the shaft contiguous to he bearings and adapted to maintain the shaft longitudinally therein, and means for limiting the movement of the cage transverse the shaft when the former is traveling to its carreceiving position.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE H..RICHARDS. VVit-nesses CHARLES A. CRAWFORD, JOHN E. LAMB. 

